Leah O'Neill

by Skilven Publications

About The Author

Skilven Publications is a publisher of resources for workplace wellness, health and safety, with a range of newsletters, posters, safety tips, training manuals and safety talks delivered straight to your inbox each month. Our team prides itself on being an ally to those providing valuable health and safety information to their staff.

Motivating Workplace Safety

It is commonly understood that without some form of motivation or incentive people will be less inclined to perform well at the workplace, and this can be particularly true in regards to safety compliance. This is where even the best managers might need some tips. It's helpful to remember that whatever the job, all people are similar in respect to what motivates them to perform at their best. And for the most part, the driving force isn't financial. Most people respond best to positive reinforcement. It is the primary driver for influencing behaviour. Getting staff involved in safety initiatives doesn't have to be daunting, and many times it can even be — dare we say — fun.

Words of Encouragement Rather than start from a position of criticism or policing of regulations, make positive reinforcement a priority. Everyone loves to be recognized and appreciated, so why not bring supportive feedback to employees? By starting from a positive place managers can boost everyone's drive to be better, and ideally create an atmosphere where employees recognize each other.

Public Recognition Showing public displays of encouragement will positively impact the individual receiving the feedback and propel others to follow in their foot steps. To have the greatest affect make the recognition timely and genuine.

Reward More People, More Often As mentioned, positive reinforcement is the primary motivator for behaviour so get in the habit of rewarding everyone who follows company safety procedures. Rather than do this as a group, reward individuals on a regular basis. Small tokens can go a long way in affirming safe behaviour.

Giving positive encouragement does not mean being a softy. Being tough and firm on safety protocol is essential and many times administering discipline will be required. However, where many managers veer off course is by creating a fear-based culture. As a result, production, profitability and morale may not be as high as they could be with a fear-based atmosphere because the focus is simply on compliance and not all around superior performance.

Interested in other ways of recognizing your staff? Check out our follow-up article Motivating Safety: Recognizing the All-Stars.